This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/22/2019
Since the very dawn of time, a fundamental element of human nature is the desire to be entertained. With entertainment comes stimulation, and what modern medicine describes as the release of endorphins into the bloodstream, producing a natural blocking of pain or unpleasant feelings and producing a sense of euphoria. In short, being entertained makes us happy, makes us feel good, and one of the earliest forms of entertainment is music. In fact, a flute made from the bone of a vulture's wing discovered by archaeologists in 2008 is considered to be approximately 35,000 years old! In the vast and history of humankind, there is arguably no entertainment franchise as powerful as the Beatles. though rock and roll is widely considered to be a product of American musical evolution, the four lads from Liverpool are unquestionably recognized as the foremost, most influential musical group of all time, virtually synonymous with rock and roll and perhaps even music itself. They are the biggest selling act of all time, with estimated sales of over 800 million physical and digital albums worldwide. They have had more number-one albums on the British charts and sold more singles than any other act; they are the best-selling act in the United States with over 178 million certified units, and they are the recipients of seven Grammy awards. And the entire phenomenon took place in just 10 short years! From their earliest residence in Hamburg, Germany in 1960, with drummer Pete Best behind the kit, to their first British hit in 1962, "Love Me Do" and the equally innocent "I Want To Hold Your Hand" which became their first American hit, they basically became an overnight sensation. Indeed, on their first visit to the United States, they flew out of London's Heathrow airport in front of an estimated 4,000 screaming and waving fans, and they were greeted in New York by an equally uproarious crowd. They gave their first live US television performance on February 9, 1964, on the Ed Sullivan show, an event watched by approximately 73 million viewers in approximately 23 million households or an astonishing 34% of the population! While their musical style would continually evolve and change, to many fans, it's the early, innocent material that is held dear to the heart. Through the determination of manager Brian Epstein, who approached Decca records only to be rejected and informed that "guitar groups are on the way out," the Fab Four were eventually signed by producer George Martin to Parlophone Records, a division of EMI. Presented here for your consideration and approval is a very scarce Parlophone Records promotional card from 1963, signed in black ballpoint ink by all four members of the band. With the inscription "To Audrey Love from the Beatles" written by Ringo Starr, all four have also added "XXX" below their names. The card measures 5 3/4" x 3 1/2" and was obtained and signed on April 9, 1963, backstage at the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn, London, England, following a performance by the band. The venue and date are notated on the front of the card by the original recipient, along with the initials of the band members, lest their names be forgotten! A letter of provenance written by the aforementioned Audrey's husband details the events leading up to her attainment of the historically significant item, and a Letter of Authenticity from world-renowned Beatles expert Frank Caiazzo also accompanies the item. A second LOA from Paul Wane of Tracks Ltd, one of the leading specialists in Beatles memorabilia is also included. A bit of peripheral wear is present, fully expected and tolerable for an item of this age, and there is a small 1/2" tear at the top of the piece which thankfully does not intrude into any of the signatures on the reverse. In short, this is a fantastic early piece of Beatles history, seldom seen with signatures of all four members, offered with the utmost pride and worthy of inclusion in the most advanced of world-class memorabilia collections.